this is my final plea with my body - i am tired of constant aching and illness

i recently decided to make "the switch" from not-so-strict vegetarianism to strict veganism.  i have suffered from stomach aches and discomfort for the past six or seven years - so far, the pain seems to have subsided.  i am currently on day 14 and i have yet to sneak or cheat. 

the main benefits i've found:

•  a lot more energy
• much better sleep
• higher degree of concentration
• a lot more organized

firstly, i must disclose my love for cooking. i love starting with raw ingredients, and slowly (or quickly) creating something completely different to indulge in.  therefore, my first conclusion: if you don't like cooking, don't become vegan.  when adopting this lifestyle, i viewed the change as a chance to eliminate preservatives - if you do not cook things from scratch, your body will run the risk of being preserved by tofu dogs and meat substitutes.

when i initially adopted the diet, i underestimated the change that it would have in my life.  because i had barely eaten meat for the past four years, i figured there was little change in giving up other animal byproducts (which, by the way, is a disgusting word).  the first day, i made cookies. cookies are my weakness - i started out with an oatmeal cookie, and finished with a carob chip - these two easily made it into my cookbook. 

ashley's vegan oatmeal cookies
1/3 cup all natural peanut butter
2 tbsp canola oil
1 cup raw sugar
1/3 cup rice/coconut milk (can use soy)
1 tsp pure vanilla
1 cup whole wheat flour
1/2 tsp baking soda
1/2 tsp salt
1 cup rolled oats
3/4 cup shredded coconut

whisk together peanut butter, oil, sugar, milk and vanilla. mix the rest of the ingredients in a separate bowl. mix dry ingredients into wet ingredients - voila. drop onto an oiled baking sheet and bake at 425 F for 8-10 minutes (until tops are golden brown).  remember these are oatmeal cookies, so they will seem undercooked, but they will continue to cook once out of the oven - and they will harden up.

ashley's vegan carob chip cookies
1 1/4 cups spelt flour
1/4 tsp salt
1 tsp baking powder
1/3 tsp baking soda
1/4 cup raw sugar
1/3 cup maple syrup
1/3 cup canola/veg oil
1 1/2 tsp pure vanilla
3/4 cup carob chips

in one bowl, stir together dry ingredients (other than carob). in a second bowl, stir together syrup, oil and vanilla. combine oil mixture with flour mixture and stir until combined. fold in carob chips. drop onto parchment-lined cookie sheet and bake at 350 F for 10-12 minutes.


i would have included a picture of the cookies (and i plan to in the future), but there are none left.. i've just put another batch in the oven, so hopefully later on i will be able to present a picture.  if you are a vegan with a sweet tooth (as i am) - these are for you! these two recipes got me through the "snacking times" at which i would usually have prepackaged sweets.

xx take care, animal-friendly followers

ashley